Orlando Sentinel Property Downtown Undergoes Redevelopment

The owners of two blocks in downtown Orlando plan a major redevelopment. The land in question is currently leased to the Orlando Sentinel under a long term agreement, housing its offices and production facility.

The owners of two blocks in downtown Orlando have planned a major redevelopment. The land in question is currently leased to the Orlando Sentinel under a long term agreement, housing its offices and production facility.

The property, owned by an affiliate of Chicago-based Tribune Media and managed by Tribune Real Estate Holdings LLC, is located between Colonial Drive and Amelia Street along North Orange Avenue. It is also home to an engineering firm and a media & design company.

The recently filed master plan calls for two phases of residential and commercial development, bringing apartments, offices, shopping destinations and a hotel to the area. Groundbreaking, however, is not due to happen in the next couple of months as the plans and the traffic impact study have yet to be reviewed by city planners before being put to a vote by the Municipal Planning Board and by the City Council,the newspaper reports.

According to plans submitted by Kimley-Horne Associates Inc., the first phase includes the construction of 318 apartments, 140,000 square feet of office space, about 28,000 square feet of retail and a garage with a capacity of 910 vehicles on the parcel closest to the Orange County Courthouse. In its current state, it serves mostly as a surface parking and has three relatively small office buildings on it. The second phase calls for another 428 rental units, a 144-room hotel as well as office, retail and parking spaces on the southern block. According to the Sentinel, conceptual plans show multiple buildings of four or five stories.

Image of the current Orlando Sentinel headquarters, courtesy of Google Maps